Today, like yesterday, is a good day to be alive. The weather is stunning and it has really given us a new lease of life thanks to a good sleep last night. Not a lot of wind, just enough to make three knots due south which after spending the early hours with the sails down is really enjoyable.

We have done a clothes wash, baked bread and tucked into bacon rolls. The galley has had a spring clean and we have given the boat a good old tidy up. The helm is catching rays at the tiller and is able to briefly leave the helm to wander about the boat for the odd job. It's just really nice.

One of the things I forgot to mention yesterday was that in the morning we noticed a pod of dolphins which were swimming in a tight fast and agitated circle with sea birds above them. From watching Blue Planet we recon they had a shoal of fish in their clutch and were having a good old feed. The spectacle passed quite close across our bows and they were still at it as the birds dropped from view. Such a cool place this.

Andy spent a couple of hours this morning with the long lens out trying to get a really nice picture of the birds which seem to have taken a liking to the Spirit of Mystery. I think they are of the Albatross family but smaller than the classic ones we are looking for. They are also black in colour but as with the big Albatross quite mesmerising as they glide about gaining lift from the waves. It's something that I will never tire of watching.

If their flight does anything it puts thoughts of evolution, aerodynamics and efficiently into mind. The natural conclusion when on this train of thought is to think about my very good friends Paul Larsen and his partner Helena in Namibia. Their project www.sailrocket.com is one of the most exciting projects about. Paul is after speed and has dedicated five years of his life to a concept which I think has the potential to set a completely new benchmark. He has efficiency and aerodynamics on his side but unlike the Albatross lacks the luxury of evolution. Without that kind of time frame big bold steps and dramatic tumbles are the order of the day, and I have just heard that they hit over fifty knots before coming unstuck.

Paul, brilliant stuff; you now know that you have it in your grasp. Keep at it mate for we are all behind you.

Cheers Pete

Any Ocean Passage will take you through the full spectrum of emotions and weather for the two are inextricably linked. This could not have been more so than last night when we lost the wind and received the news that thanks to the high pressure heading our way, to all intents and purposes, we are to be becalmed for up to four days. It is so dire that we can only hope for a window of opportunity to present itself during that period of flux for there isn't one at the moment.

This, after all our efforts to date feels very unfair and it was with a heavy heart that Eliot and I sat on deck watching the sun go down last night. The fact that we were surrounded by our first Albatross and they looked stunning as they soared across a vivid backdrop didn't take the sting out of it. The reality that Christmas in Cape Town is looking very doubtful was a big pill to swallow and as much as one might wish to rant and rave at the weather, swallow it we must for that is the lot of a sailor.

For Eliot it was devastating, not only had he to reconcile the possibility of Christmas without the family, but also to consider that we might well lose a chunk of our time together in Cape Town; something that is of greater importance than Christmas for we can celebrate that later, but we can't turn the clock back. One of the benefits of age and wisdom is that it's easier to see beyond something like this. Accepting that which you can't control takes time to master and it was awful to see a tear of disappointment squeeze its way through Eliot's effort at stoic acceptance. Being someone who cries at all the films it set me off and we had a cuddle on deck for sometimes there's nothing else to give.

Just to rub it in the wind dropped away to flat calm and we spent the night with the sails down lolloping about on the swell. To add insult to injury it even started to rain during the early hours so I decided to stand Eliot's watch on the basis that disappointment is easier to deal with on a good night's sleep. The odd thing is that it was a really nice night watch in that there was nothing I could do but pop on deck every now and then to check for ships, so I had a hot chocolate and read for three hours. It was so nice to have a break from the eternal routine.

Not 24 hours later and Eliot bounded down below quivering with excitement to say 'That was the best watch ever'. There's that spectrum being played like a fine tuned instrument by the vagaries of sailing. We started the morning with our Sunday routine of pancakes and I have to say they were absolutely delicious. A light breeze picked up, we tacked and started to make a couple of knots in the right direction for we are not going to give up. Eliot took over the helm and heard a new and evocative sound behind him; the sound of one of the world's largest mammals drawing breath.

The next hour was one of the most thrilling experiences I have had with a large pod of up to twenty whales playing around the boat. Blowing all about us, some twice the size of Spirit of Mystery. We could see them swimming just under the keel and twisting to look up at the bottom of the hull. These huge creatures, the bigger ones cruising at what must have been ten knots, had no menace about them at all. We are the intruders into their world and yet one felt so welcome in their midst. Magnificent, breath taking, awe inspiring, peaceful and thrilling - I just don't think I can articulate how special it was. One thing for sure is that we all feel incredibly privileged to have shared a moment of their world and it is something that will stay with us forever.

Andy is on the helm as I type this out; it looks like we have another calm spell on the way. Mark is reading and Eliot is knocking up Beef Bourguignon for supper. Once again we are a happy and contented little ship and if the whales gave us anything it was a reminder to seize the day. It's a long way to Cape Town and who knows what might come along.

Cheers Pete

We had a bit of a long night last night as the front passed through stirring up our peaceful little world like a stroppy adolescent. Endless rain coupled with a backing wind and lively sea had an uncomfortable motion, particularly when the wind eased in the early hours giving the waves a chance to really role us about.

I was Marks relief at five this morning and we decided it was time to gybe and start heading south again. With just the two of us on deck it took forty five minutes to have it done and everything squared away and ship shape. As it happened, the wind increased a bit and I was able to sail into a lovely dry dawn and I have to say, despite being very tired it was a really pleasant final hour on the helm.

What a sleep had I; you know when you wake up in exactly the same position that you laid down and you are so relaxed that it feels like you have sunk into the mattress. Well that was me this morning and joy of joys I actually woke up naturally as opposed to being dragged up for another spell on the helm. With the luxury of a little time to myself it struck me that the view from my bed had changed. Indeed it was only last night during a brief break in the clouds that I realized how we now have a completely new set of stars to enjoy. Last night the slow transition that we have been witnessing seemed to have crystallized.

It's as if someone has redecorated and moved the furniture about for on this new gybe I woke up to a different view of the boat, for my back is against the lee cloth as opposed to the backrest. Believe it or not we have had the wind to port since the Doldrums, so to wake up with the Chart Table oil lamp gently swinging away is really quite a refreshing change.

The winds have progressively eased and headed as the day has unwound, and we now find ourselves with all the light sails up and our course dictated by the wind rather than compass. A tack sometime tonight would seem inevitable as will be the frustration that the projected calm will bring. Why oh why have we been saddled with a high just when we really don't need one?

That said we have been making progress, for if we unfold the chart we have just passed to the south of the South African border which means we are now below 30 degrees south.

Cheers Pete

'Red sky in the morning sailors warning' came to mind as the sky gave a burst of red across a grey dawn. Sure enough, by lunchtime we were in pouring rain dropping the big mizzen and strapping things down for a blow. So far it has been windy but enjoyable sailing with the wind and sizable waves from aft, so we are making hay whilst we can.

This morning, during Eliot's watch, we had a small container ship pass just to leeward of us at a fair rate of knots so we are not alone out here. We tried to call him up on the VHF to no avail but looking at his course, we did wonder if he had come from Tristan Da Cunha which is to the SW of us about 700NM away. They look fascinating and I have heard that there is quite a big community. Such a shame to not be stopping for I am sure it would be fascinating to see how they live so far from anywhere.

Although I wouldn't say that we have quite hit the Southern Ocean, I would say that things have taken another step in the right direction. As of this morning we have packed away our shorts and donned thermal bottoms and socks. Boots and full Musto gore-tex foulies have become the norm on deck. Oddly enough this is at odds with the wind forecast in that Lee tells us there is a high between us and Cape Town. This is most unusual and very disappointing after the big mile days that we have been banging out; 170NM yesterday.

With light and variable airs ahead and 1999NM Miles to Cape Town we can but hope for a break and keep grinding away at the miles. My feeling is that we should have a handle on our ETA by Thursday, but you never really know out here.

Cheers Pete